THE WORLD OF STEPHEN FERBER – By Mariah Walton
This guy gets it. Out of Sweden comes legacy menswear designer Stephen Ferber, who is cutting-edge, trend re-inventing, and wise beyond his craft.
As I call Ferber for our conference (and, by the way, he goes by “Stephen F,” the name of his flagship store) I am greeted with the sounds of New York City as his shop is in the Meatpacking District. Horns beeping, cars whipping by, wind blowing. This doesn’t seem to bother him in the least as we begin our conversation in what Stephen F calls “Swedlish.” (Three gueses which mix of two languages he’s talking about and the first two don’t count....) As we talk, I discover that what sets Stephen F’s shop apart from others is that he, as a designer, is all about bringing back the relationship-building part of business...something he says he learned and inherited from both grandfathers, one a furrier and the other, a tailor. From cultivating just the right face for his company, with celebrity involvement from the likes of New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist; super model Alex Lundqvist; Grammy Award-winning artist Shaggy, Stephen F’s stance is simple: “You can buy the people to create the brand, or you can create the relationship.” He’s clearly creating and investing in networking. Something to note…along with the rest of his insight below.
The Story of Opening a Menswear Shop A long time ago, in a galaxy not so far away, there was a gap in the market between high-end big brands and the simple beauty of quality, tailored suiting. At least that was how Stephen F brilliantly conceived the idea to open a shop in New York...from his own need one day for a well-tailored suit. It led him to create a store that would allow him to be involved in every aspect of his shop,
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